Greenwood Wildlife Area: hunting and access
Greenwood Wildlife Area is 1,442 acres of land managed by the Wisconsin DNR in Waushara County, 2 miles from Hancock. The DNR's page for it names wild turkey and ducks and geese among the game here. Hunters registered 8,678 deer in Waushara County in 2025.
Data updated October 2026. Area facts: the DNR's DNR property data, read 2026-10. Harvest: DNR Deer Metrics.
State wildlife areas, forests and other DNR landGreenwood Wildlife AreaCounty lineLakeHighway
| Size | 1,442 acres |
|---|---|
| County | Waushara County |
| Deer Management Unit | Waushara County |
| DNR lists for hunting | wild turkey and ducks and geese |
| Public access (DNR) | Open to Hiking, Fishing, Hunting and Trapping |
| DNR property page | Greenwood Wildlife Area |
| Nearest towns | Hancock (2 mi), Coloma (3 mi) and Plainfield (7 mi) |
What is Greenwood Wildlife Area like?
Located in west-central Waushara County, one mile southeast of Hancock, the Greenwood State Wildlife Area lies on the edge of a pitted outwash plain. This creates a flat sandy topography and a wooded hilly moraine. Historically, the plains area was in agricultural practices and an important wintering area for a local population of giant Canada geese. In 1938, it was closed to goose hunting for the next ten years by designation as a state refuge. As the giant Canada goose population increased statewide, it became apparent the refuge was no longer needed. In 1994, an effort to restore the area to native prairie and barrens habitat types began. Approximately 650 acres have been restored to prairie, and about 700 acres are dominated by oak forest community types.
Recognition of the diversity of glacial formations within the wildlife area led to the designation of an alternate route of the Wisconsin Ice Age Trail route. The trail traverses along the southern and eastern borders, with a new segment through the grasslands. Additionally, a snowmobile trail exists through a portion of the south of the property. There is ample parking on all sides of the wildlife area. Before state ownership, the state leased some of the lands in present ownership, and about 10 acres were purchased annually for goose feed. From 1949-53, several hundred acres of state land were cropped by the UW Experimental Station at Hancock. The Department of Natural Resources took over the entire farming operation in 1954 and initiated a Soil Conservation Service farm plan to control wind erosion and increase soil fertility.
In the DNR's words, from its page for the property.
What can you hunt on Greenwood Wildlife Area?
The DNR's page for Greenwood Wildlife Area names wild turkey and ducks and geese. Each follows Wisconsin's statewide season and, for deer, the tags and rules of the deer management unit.
What are the rules on Greenwood Wildlife Area?
The DNR's property map lists Greenwood Wildlife Area as "Open to Hiking, Fishing, Hunting and Trapping". Hunting follows Wisconsin's statewide seasons and the rules posted on the property.
Activities the DNR lists for Greenwood Wildlife Area: Auto travel, Birding, Cross-country skiing (no designated trail), Hiking (designated and non-designated trails), * Hunting (noted for deer, turkey and small game), Snowmobiling (designated trails only), Trapping, Wild edibles/gathering and Wildlife viewing.
How many deer are taken around Greenwood Wildlife Area?
Greenwood Wildlife Area lies in Waushara County. The DNR registered 8,678 deer in Waushara County in 2025, against 8,191 in 2024.
| DMU | Greenwood Wildlife Area acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Deer, 2024 | Deer, 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Waushara County | 1,442 | 8,678 | 8,191 | 6,404 |
Harvest for the whole deer management unit, not the property alone: Wisconsin DNR Deer Metrics (registered harvest by deer management unit).
How do you get to Greenwood Wildlife Area?
Nearest towns: Hancock (2 miles), Coloma (3 miles), Plainfield (7 miles) and Wautoma (9 miles). Highways within 5 miles: US 51, I-39 and WI 21.
What other public land is near Greenwood Wildlife Area?
DNR properties within 10 miles:
- State Ice Age Trail Area (SIATA): 4,676 acres, next to it
- Mecan River Fishery Area: 6,730 acres, 1.2 miles away
- Carter Creek State Habitat Area: 395 acres, 3 miles away
- Big Roche A Cri Fishery Area: 845 acres, 3.9 miles away
- White River Fishery Area-Waushara: 3,501 acres, 5 miles away
- Colburn Wildlife Area: 5,068 acres, 6 miles away
Public land within 3 miles of Greenwood Wildlife Area
Counting Greenwood Wildlife Area itself, 2,793 of the 31,558 acres within 3 miles of its boundary are public land open to the public (8.9%), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public).
| Manager | Acres within 3 miles |
|---|---|
| State wildlife areas, forests and other DNR land | 2,792 |
| State parks | 1 |
Questions hunters ask
Where is Greenwood Wildlife Area?
In Waushara County, 2 miles from Hancock. The DNR's property page has its maps and parking.
Is Greenwood Wildlife Area open to hunting?
Yes. The DNR's property map lists it as "Open to Hiking, Fishing, Hunting and Trapping". Posted refuges or closed areas, where there are any, are marked on site.
Which deer management unit is Greenwood Wildlife Area in?
Waushara County.
How much public land is around Greenwood Wildlife Area?
2,793 acres within 3 miles of its boundary, Greenwood Wildlife Area included, by PAD-US 4.1. The closest other DNR property is State Ice Age Trail Area (SIATA) (next to it).
Get a Wisconsin hunt plan when they open
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Until then, the free FilledTag app for iPhone has a map that works in every state, Wisconsin included.
Where these facts come from
- Area description, species, rules and directions: DNR, Greenwood Wildlife Area; Wisconsin DNR managed lands open to hunting.
- Boundary and acres: the DNR's map layer above. Surrounding public land: USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public).
- Deer harvest: Wisconsin DNR Deer Metrics (registered harvest by deer management unit).
FilledTag is not part of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Check the DNR's rules and posted signs before you go.